FG urged to abolish unity schools’ insurance scheme
The Federal Government has been called upon to abolish the students’ insurance scheme it introduced in the federal government colleges, last year.
Under the scheme called “Students welfare insurance scheme for unity schools”, each student is expected to pay a sum of N5, 000, every term, as an insurance levy, Daily Trust has learnt.
Checks at the ministry of education indicated that the scheme was designed by the NICON Insurance to provide some benefits to students of unity schools such as the payment of N500, 000 to cover a student’s school fees up to the year of graduation in the event of the death of their sponsor or guardian.
Others are compensation of N500,000 to the sponsor in case of accidental death of student, payment of N500,000 accidental permanent disability (student), payment of N50,000 burial expenses for accidental death of student and payment of N50,000 accidental medical expenses.
However, a father, who has two daughters at the FGC Zaria, Alhaji Musa Yabagi Muhammad, said: “Parents are forced to pay the levy.
“I believed somebody, somewhere, is going to benefit from the money, not the parent or students. After all, we (parents) did not request government to insure our children.”
Muhammad, therefore, appealed to the government to abolish the scheme and refund parents their monies.
Another parent, Alhaji Munir Abdullahi, said the insurance issue was discussed at the school’s Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) meetings but some parents kicked against it.
Abdullahi said, “When some parents raised an alarm, they were enjoined to accept it. They did not tell us the benefits but they have already taken a decision. Therefore, there was nothing we can do than to start paying. I am sure many parents are paying that money out of their wish, but since we can’t stop it, what else can we do?
“We want our children to have education, and as you know everything now about education in Nigeria is money. Nothing is free. If you complain of high school fees and other charges, they would tell you that ‘if education is expensive, try ignorance’.”
He called on the authorities to look into the issue and other similar charges that parents pay in federal government-owned colleges with the aim of reversing the payments.
Doing so, according to him, would relieve many parents, especially the low-income earners.
When contacted, Mr. Peter Osamgbi, a special assistant on media to the minister of state for education, Prof. Viola A. Onwulirin, confirmed the collection of the levy.
He said: “The scheme was introduced, last year, but the ministry has received a lot of complaints from the parents and the matter will be resolved soon.”